New music roundup: Afghan Whigs, James Keyes, The Wytches

Monday

Feb 24, 2014 at 6:41 PMFeb 24, 2014 at 6:43 PM

Maybe it’s because February’s grinding on, but most of the new songs and recordings coming out have felt a bit heavy, weighted down by electrified gloom. Not bad music per se, but the sort of music that, if you’re not in the headspace for it, it just won’t take.

Even the Afghan Whigs’ “Algiers,” from the band’s first new album in more than a decade, “Do the Beast,” has some of that gloom. But it’s forgivable — The Whigs have always had a touch of heaviness about them, and if “Algiers” doesn’t have the frenetic manic quality of older work such as “Gentlemen,” it’s still got a great deal of bite:

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What really makes the song is Greg Dulli’s vocals: His agonized phrasing curling the words around his tongue, his deep baritone resonance. It gives the song’s (and the video’s) darkness a smooth edge.

“Gravedweller,” by The Wytches, is a far more stripped down song, with its amplifier fuzz and distorted vocals making the song feel more like it was recorded in a rock club than in a studio. But don’t take any of that as a complaint: The Wytches have something here, a punk spark that brings the whole thing to life:

The song’s a bracing ride, and you’re never entirely sure where it’s going to land, but the muddied up surf guitar and explosions of bass keep it from careening off the road.

Lastly, local James Keyes has out his first-ever music video, for his song “Taking My Time,” from his recent album, “The Middle”:

It’s a good little video, with a nice sepia-tone wash that gives it that “old-timey” feel. But more importantly, it’s a great excuse to revisit a great song. And isn’t that what a music video is for? (Victor D. Infante)